Talaea
Talaea is the woodland elvish name for the continent on which the majority of World of Rayne takes place. Geography Talaea is situated on a very small, somewhat Earth-like planet. The north side of the continent lies about 15 degrees of latitude above the planet's equator and thus most of the continent trends toward hot climates. The far south end of Talaea reaches about 45 degrees of latitude below the equator, making the mountain range from which the races of the continent are said to originate rather temperate. The west side the continent is laced with rivers and is rather swampy and humid from the warm sea drafts. The north side is partially edged with mountains which force these sea drafts upwards, resulting in heavy rainfall on the northern side and a drier climate on the south side. In the winter, this is the coldest part of Talaea. The largest empty section of Talaea is flat and covered in grassland, known as the Green Sea. Just east from the center of the continent, dense deciduous forests cover the length of Talaea, sometimes referred to as the "belt" of the continent. The area east of these forests is not large, and contains mostly plains and flat beaches. Races High Elves According to tradition, all races but The Wilder are descended from the high elves. Legend states that long ago, Azene's Protected (Azenekalan) landed on the southern edge of Talaea and endured many trials climbing the mountains. They were rewarded with the sight of Talaea's massive stretch of rippling green. The Protected settled in the relative shelter of the more temperate side of the mountains in order to admire the Green Sea. Azene blessed them with an abundance of resources in precious metals and stones on top of the plentiful food and water they found. By appearance, high elves are the most regal of any of the races. They are tall and slim, with thin faces and graceful limbs. They prize education and literature--all scripts in Talaea originate from high elf writing. Star Elves Star elves are the purebred high elves who remained in the southern mountains of Talaea. After their rift with The Deserters, they became reclusive and somewhat xenophobic, a trait which is still ingrained in the society. They keep a tightly knit society with a monarchy at the center and aristocracy around it. In modern times, labor and resources are purchased from other parts of the continent, leaving very little for star elves to bother themselves with other than artistry and education. Religion and worship of the elvish pantheon, as well, is very prevalent among star elves. Star elves are almost always exceedingly pale, with platinum or white hair and grey or blue eyes. They have thin noses with very straight bridges, almost creating one smooth line from their foreheads to the tips of their noses. They have a deep appreciation for fine clothing and jewelry, and it is rare to see a purebred star elf without an array of twinkling regalia on their body. It is for this reason, and the fact that they live at the highest altitude of any race, that star elves are known by that name. Malentian Elves Originally known as The Deserters (Tsotekalan), Malentian Elves are also high elves. Sometime in the centuries after the Protected reached Talaea, a group of elves emerged wanting to go down into the Green Sea and search the continent. Other elves accused them of blasphemy, as all of the shrines to the elvish pantheon existed in the mountains, and it was widely thought that leaving behind the gifts of Azene was equivalent to spurning her. A powerful and influential elf named Malenti Atsulakila rallied The Deserters and roughly a quarter of the high elves left with her and traveled north. When they reached the northern tip of Talaea, they settled there, naming the land after their leader. Legend states that Malentian elves' hair turned black on their journey as a curse by Azene, but their skin remains just as pale, if not paler, than that of the star elves. Their facial structures and body types have remained relatively similar. The Wilder A species residing somewhere between legend and reality. It is thought that The Wilder were the original inhabitants of Talaea. They lived primarily in the southern forests and were extremely primal--to the point that most modern elves believe that they were partially animal. There still exists heavy prejudice against them despite their extinction. "Wilder" is often used as an insult, and the few elves who have Wilder blood are subject to ridicule. Little is known about the society or appearance of the Wilder, but it is known that at some point after The Deserters left the southern mountains, a few more groups trickled away and spread out over Talaea. It is believed that a very small number of them mingled with the Wilder before the race was eventually exterminated. Talexyo, located in the north section of forested area, holds the highest ratio of elves with Wilder ancestry (perhaps 0.2% of the population) Evidence of Wilder blood generally manifests in unnaturally bright hair colors, oddly-shaped eyes, and a tendency towards aggression. Most Wilder elves, however distilled their genetics may be, also experience a deep connection with wildlife. Akyro is one of the rare few to possess Wilder blood--hence his great affection for Soki and his affiliation with hatem-kiton in general. Winged Elves Though it is unknown to modern elves, the winged elves were gifted by Azene and the deity Nif. Long ago, the last group of Wilder fled the forests in hopes of finding survival elsewhere, but they were pursued by elves. They were chased across the entirety of the Green Sea, living off of insects and moisture from morning dew. When they reached the mountains in the northwest and were finally cornered, Nif, the deity of fauna, pled to Azene on their behalf, and together they granted the Wilder wings which allowed them to scale the mountains and escape their pursuers. Out of any modern race, winged elves are probably the most persecuted. Their society is unstructured, they do not have reading or writing, and children are often raised by scattered groups or forced to fend for themselves because of the flighty nature ingrained in their psyches. Children of winged elves who are not purebred do not inherit the magnificent plumes of their winged parent. Because of this, they are usually unable to survive with winged elves and instead are forced to stay with their other parent. Unfortunately, these children are rarely born from loving relationships, and their land-bound parent is almost always long gone by the time they are able to walk. As a result, many live as street urchins in Laza-ba, where they are tattooed on their faces to mark their winged elf status. This virtually guarantees that they will not be able to earn respectable jobs. Almost all of them die at a very young age. In the last decade or so, culture in Laza-ba has shifted to viewing winged elves as somewhat exotic due to their endangerment. This does little to effect the prejudice against them, however, those who express talent have been able to take up vocations on the off-chance that they learn the Laza-baan tongue well enough. Woodland Elves By far the most developed society by Rayne because of her love for forests. The majority of woodland elves live in the massive city of Talexyo, which has roads maintained in concentric squares centered around the Temple of the Gods. The Temple, a stepped pyramid, houses many shrines to various deities. Atop the pyramid are the shrines to the main deities (Azene, Heki, Nif, Naki, etc). Beneath the temple are long lengths of tunnels containing headbands that record the lives of each woodland elf. On a woodland elf's birthday, they will wear their headband, and a feather will be added to it. Many of the oldest headbands are only bone (the main material of the headbands) and the remnants of the feathers. If the elf lives to old age, they will be able to wear an elegant headdress of feathers covering their head. Woodland elves speak Talen. The language lacks voiced plosives ("g", "d", etc.) and instead uses unvoiced plosives ("k", "t", etc.), so it has a quality like sing-song whispering. Talen does have a script, but most woodland elves don't need to use writing much. At birth, all woodland elves (even those with Wilder blood) receive facial tattoos individual to them. These tattoos are often used as symbols for the elf's business or their signature, and are also inscribed on wedding bands when an elf is married. Woodland elves tend to be quite tan, with hair colors ranging from blonde to brown. They usually have hazel or brown eyes. Most don't possess the facial features of high elves, instead having lower cheekbones and small noses. A healthy amount of fat and/or muscle is considered very beautiful in this society. Fire Elves Fire elves once had a developed society and country on the east side of the belt of Talaea, however, in Istantina 3: 8, their capital was sacked and burned by sea-treaders ("sea devils" in the fire elvish language). The surviving fire elves fled in groups and spread out across Talaea. Due to massive cultural differences, most fire elves never settled down or intermingled with other races, instead remaining within a group of other fire elves. Most now make money performing at festivals across Talaea, but some have found a comfortable living performing daily in rich cities like Malenti. They are not permitted in star elf territory, as they are considered too frivolous and lacking intelligence. Fire elves usually have dark, cinnamon-colored skin, with hair ranging from dark auburn to deep brown. Their eyes are usually brown. They often have body tattoos related to their profession, as they don't have the same concepts of modesty as other races and wear less clothes on a regular basis. Laza-baans One of the few non-elvish races to inhabit Talaea. Laza-baans generally stay in the northwestern side of the continent, close to the sea in thriving trade centers. Their culture is heavily influenced by mercantilism, and money is very important to them. Many Laza-baans make a great show of demonstrating their wealth through lavish homes and clothing. They also know more about overseas races and precious items than any of the other races. Laza-baans are almost always olive-skinned, with straight, thick black hair and eyes ranging from grey to black. They have wide cheeks, strong jaws, and sloped noses. Sirens Alongside The Wilder, sirens are considered the original inhabitants of Talaea, sometimes thought of as The Wilder's western cousin. Sirens have not gone extinct, however, they are very rare and dwell only in the small rivers and swampland. Sirens once inhabited the waters on the northwest edge of Talaea, but when Laza-baans made port they were driven away or further inland due to the Laza-baans resistance to siren magic. Sirens take on the appearance of what the viewer would find most attractive. If a viewer is not attracted to the siren's sex, or if the viewer is asexual, the siren will retain their original appearance, which is usually green-skinned and gold-freckled, though not monstrous. They have webbed ears and possess gills. Their natural hair ranges from white to blue to green. Their eyes are usually a metallic tone like gold or bronze. Sea-treaders A once-unknown race not welcomed in Talaea except by Laza-baans. Sea-treaders come from a continent to the north and possess excellent naval skills because much of their sustenance is obtained from sea creatures, and they have met with a western continent in battle several times. While Talaea has largely managed to stay out of these struggles, some groups of sea-treaders in search of conquest have landed there before. The largest disaster wreaked by them was the sacking and burning of the fire elf capital, but they have also burned the northern end of the central forests and attacked Malenti (unsuccessfully). Laza-ba has a very small population of sea-treaders, but mostly deal with them in trade. Some Laza-baans spy on or steal from inhabitants of the western continent and then sell information to the sea-treaders. This is greatly frowned upon by most elves, and fire elves do not even approach the city. Sea-treaders tend to be pale-skinned, with none of the marble elegance of the high elves. They have hair ranging from dirty blonde to brown, and their eyes are usually blue, though can occasionally be a very light brown. They tend to have builds much more muscular than is possible for elves, with wide but sharp faces. Religions Elvish Pantheon Note: Talen names are used. Used primarily by woodland and star elves, occasionally by Malentian elves, though Malentians are not generally religious due to the secular nature of their modern society. Those who worship the elvish pantheon usually select a deity that they feel a personal connection with and travel to shrines honoring that deity. They will try to emulate the qualities of their deity and choose a profession that their deity would approve of. Elves pray occasionally to invoke a deity's blessing, which they often ask for in exchange for something else--for example, Azene's Prayer. Azene Tsorel (The Blind One): The most revered and most worshiped goddess. Depicted with long, straight black hair and billowing white robes. She always wears a helmet that covers her eyes and usually carries her bird, whose tail shifts into a rainbow from its base. Azene represents love, protection, and life. Her helmet and implied blindness represents how intuition can guide just as well as physical senses and logic. Her bird represents good times to come after trials, like rainbows after a storm. Tsoriken Aname (The Piper): Azene's brother--together the two make up the most powerful and oldest deities. He is depicted with long, straight white hair and billowing black robes. He wears a crown of horns and carries a pipe. Elves believe that in death, they will wander Tsoriken's mists and listen to his music for eternity. The Piper represents loss and death. While not inherently evil, his ongoing battles with Azene have made him bitter, and he is despised by all elves except for Malentians, on whom he bestows all of his gifts. Nif: Azene's first creation. Nif is the spirit of all fauna and living, breathing things. He is often considered to be the most balanced of many of the deities, and is portrayed with a calm, smiling expression. His depictions usually include animal features, most often elk antlers. Selan: Nif's wife, also created by Azene. She is the spirit of all plantlife. She is depicted with long, golden hair either woven with flowers or which turns into a cascade of flowers over her shoulders. She is often followed by healers who invoke her blessings to mix powerful poultices. Heki: The sun goddess, also associated with the harvest, bounty, and health. Woodland elves hold a massive festival in her honor on the day of the summer solstice. She sits on a throne with a bowl of water in her lap, representing the world and the sky. She constantly stirs the water to make the days go around. She is often followed by elves who wish to have large, healthy families. Other deities: Akilam (crafting), Otsalan (dancing, beauty, and sex), Si'xi (water, but not oceans or large rivers, lakes, or rain), Aterstel (stars, air, freedom, and self-expression), Naki (quietude, study, self-analysis) Fire elf deities Fire elves do not have a set pantheon; instead, each individual has a personal deity who follows them from birth. It is believed that the deity manifests in a child's early interests and talents. These beings do not so much represent power or supernatural wisdom as they do companionship and protection, and are often physical objects. They can range from instruments to colors to certain types of weather to elements like fire, in Kali's case. Laza-baan Twins Laza-baans worship two twin deities who share the same body. These deities represent balance in every aspect of life and the duality of all things. They represent both the sun and the moon, the sea and the sky, male and female, salt and dust, etc. Without one, the other would not be the same. Another sect believe that the singular body of the Twin represents the continual search for completion and unity. These people believe that they are born as empty vessels and spend their lives in constant pursuit of anything they feel they lack, striving for absolute perfection. People of this sect usually either withdraw into monasteries, or lead lavish lives, searching after money and possessions of all sorts (much frowned upon by the monks). Laza-baans honor the Twins with songs at dawn and dusk; at these times the entire city stops and intones praises to the Twins. Politics Countries Malenti: Far north, home to Malentian elves. Taleki: The "belt" of Talaea, home to the woodland elves. Capital: Talexyo Gujara: Eastern plains, once home to the fire elves. Now largely empty; capital of Sheganri is in shambles. Laza-ba: Northwest coast. Two largest cities (Laza-ba and Jenzri-ba) are trade ports. Asenesio: Southern mountains, home to the star elves. History Category:World of Rayne